The invention relates to a tolerance compensation member having at least two support bodies one of which has a helically extending support surface with which the support bodies are engaged one against the other such that an axial dimension of the tolerance compensation member can be adjusted by rotating the support bodies relative to one another.
Examples for tolerance compensation members of this type have been described in DE 298 07 967 U1, EP 1 180 605 A1 and EP 1 215 401 A2.
These tolerance compensation members are used in particular for connecting and tensioning two structural components by means of a connecting screw that is inserted through the annular support bodies. One of the support bodies is engaged with the connecting screw via a friction coupling so that, when the connecting screw is screwed into one of the two structural components to be connected, it is entrained frictionally and thereby rotated relative to the other support body. In this way, the axial dimension of the tolerance compensation member increases in the course of the screw-in process until the tolerance compensation member bridges the gap between the two components. Then, the friction coupling permits the connecting screw to be screwed-in further whereas the two support bodies are retained in their position relative to one another.
In the known tolerance compensation members, at least two of the support bodies are in a thread-engagement with one another, e.g. via left handed threads.